Experts say the journey to a successful vaccine trial still has a long way to go and the process to secure a license will take time. 

The indictment against prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari that was read out last Wednesday at the Jakarta Corruption Court evinced the failure of many private and state banks as well as money changers in fully implementing Bank Indonesia’s Know Your Customer (KYC) principle as a preventive measure to mitigate money laundering.

To build Papua anew, Jakarta needs to listen to voices that have so far been left unheard.

Improvements to health care and the social safety net must be the top priority — not just in words, but in practice.

It is ironic, however, when government officials who lead the charge against COVID-19 have to take a tumble. Whether they fail to practice what they preach, public officials have sparked controversy after they were seen failing to uphold physical distancing rules and wear masks. It was reported that Edhy took off his mask when delivering a speech during his outings before he contracted the virus.

The irony in Indonesia’s situation is that the intensified attacks on democratic norms and institutions took place especially in the past five years, during the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who was once hailed as the new face of Indonesian democracy. Jokowi is by no means responsible for the decline of Indonesian democracy, but he did very little to arrest the regression, while some of his policies have certainly helped members of the elite that helped catapult him into the presidency.

As the ghost of the 1998 tragedy still lingers and the police remain reluctant to act against vigilante groups, the reincarnation of Pam Swakarsa may spread fear, not a sense of protection and security.

Flooding will surely aggravate the pandemic. It is feared shelters for flood victims will create new clusters of virus transmission if physical distancing is not enforced.

For the nation’s guardians of the Constitution, the chance to play honest broker with Israel is too much a cost, and this knowledge has been passed down until this day.

Our question is, what is the point of putting the 1999 BI Law amendment on top of the House legislation agenda now, while the Finance Ministry is preparing an omnibus bill to govern the whole financial sector?

The government’s population data have been used in a number of elections, at both national and regional levels, and have often sparked controversy, especially because the official data are allegedly used to give incumbent candidates an edge.

Amid the catastrophic impacts of the coronavirus, good news is coming from Indonesian forests. The government’s efforts to reduce deforestation and forest fires have paid off. Indonesia has secured a grant of US$103.8 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for avoiding 20.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from 2014 to 2016. The country has also received a $56 million grant from Norway for reducing deforestation and carbon emissions.

Suga has an unusual background compared with many of his predecessors, including his immediate predecessor Abe. The 71-year old Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician is among only a few of Japan’s political elite to come from a rural family. Suga is also an independent member of the LDP, belonging to no party faction. Suga is a self-made man, and loyal to Abe.

Doubts over whether the reinstated large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) will eventually flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmission in Jakarta linger. The public has the right to express such skepticism as they have witnessed in their life many regulations go unenforced, or worse, as some believe, the regulations are created to be broken.

The exit from the tournaments that have in the past catapulted Indonesia to international fame further paints a gloomy picture of the country’s bid to excel in sports. 

As the government remains unable to keep virus transmission under control, as evinced by the steep rise in confirmed cases, it is possible that regions that elect their leaders will turn into additional red zones – areas at high risk of virus transmission.

The growing resistance to Jakarta’s plan to reinstate large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) demonstrates the tendency of many policymakers to avoid harsh measures, even if they are exactly what the country needs to win the prolonged struggled against COVID-19.

He laid the foundation for “safe journalism”, which allowed Kompas to survive and thrive during the Soeharto dictatorship and remain effective in voicing the people’s aspirations. In the coming years, Kompas will likely continue to do so.

If the central government and the Jakarta administration cannot get their acts together, the upcoming PSBB will be an even more painful period for everyone. 

The monetary board that the House is proposing in its amendment to the BI Law marks a major setback for central bank independence. The board is reminiscent of the old, government-controlled central bank in the period between the 1950s and 1999.

But the recent deaths of some 30 Rohingya refugees at sea have served as the latest sobering reminder that real lives are at stake when nations drag their feet in finding solutions to a genuinely regional challenge.

From only three sole candidate pairs in the 2015 regional elections, the number rose to nine in 2017, 16 in 2018 and now, at least provisionally, 28.

The uncertainty surrounding the investigation into the arsenic poisoning of human rights defender Munir Said Thalib 16 years ago today exemplifies the government’s denial to take responsibility and ensure justice is served. At least two governments have now failed not only Munir’s family but also the nation, because impunity has been preserved for perpetrators of human rights.

This warming of ties between Arab countries and Israel will certainly pose a challenge as to how Indonesia conducts its diplomacy in the region, especially because Indonesia continues to support the struggle of the Palestinian people.

Instead of depriving the OJK of its banking oversight mandate, the government should help the OJK realign the structure of its organization with its new responsibilities.

If the principle of “equality before the law” is implemented, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) will be busy monitoring all pieces of content, not in their thousands but in their millions, and enforcing the law against offenders. Logically, many, except the TV industry, will be able to meet the KPI standards.

For virus epicenters like Jakarta, it is time to consider whether the transition to normal activities should be stopped and restrictions reimposed.

Brutality, if persists, is indicative of the failure of the military and police in promoting human rights as a game changer that distinguishes them from their past. Revisiting the curriculum in military and police schools and academies is pressing to end the culture of violence.

Whoever takes over as prime minister will have little chance to redirect Japan’s economic path and foreign policy. First of all, he or she will have to deal with the deadly COVID-19. The new leader will also have to maintain party stability, as several factions will be waiting for the prime minister to make a blunder before the September 2021 election.

Nothing is peculiar about the Brompton fever, despite the signals that the country is on the brink of recession and millions in the lower-middle class are at risk of falling, if they have not already done so, into poverty as a result of the pandemic-induced crisis. But given the lack of bicycle lanes in most parts of Jakarta and other cities in the country, many would argue that prestige, rather than functionality, is behind the Brompton phenomenon.